Experience Report by Clara Sayrol (KVALITO Life Science Consultant)
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”- Andre Gide
Clara Sayrol is originally from Barcelona, where she completed her studies in Chemical Engineering and her Master’s Degree in Industrial Business Management. She has been working for global Industrial-technology companies, working in operations roles as Project Manager and Supply Chain working on different international projects. As a Life Science Consultant at KVALITO Germany GmbH, Clara is currently implementing a LIMS within one of the company’s key customers. In her role as a Project Manager, she is ensuring the optimization of timings, budget and leading all team activities. Clara moved from Barcelona to Heidelberg in 2019.
After spending most of my life in Barcelona, I decided it was time to take over the reins of my life and leave for brighter horizons. By that time, I was not quite aware of all the wonderful benefits that such an experience as living and working abroad could bring.
1. Moving abroad is good for your social and communication skills
After moving to a new country, you will have to learn to communicate with the local language which is a key skill for any job and also a must-have for every person living abroad. Dealing with colleagues and clients of different nationalities is a good way to improve your interpersonal and communication skills. Anyone who has been into this situation, living and working in a completely different culture, will be undoubtedly able to think on a more global scale by having to interact successfully within other business cultures.
2. Moving abroad teaches you to go out of your comfort zone and adopt a global mindset
Most international companies nowadays look for employees who can think on a global scale and people who have lived abroad have already demonstrated their adaptability to new challenges. The moment you arrive at a new destination your new life starts since every aspect you have been conceiving changes and most probably at the beginning you will have no idea how to accomplish anything on your task list neither any previous experience. Starting over is a great way of going out of your comfort zone and realize how much you are capable of doing by yourself as well as gaining a global mindset and proving your maturity and adaptability to new environments by immersing into different sets of values and perspectives. Overcoming the difficulties of integrating into a new country, both logistical and mental, can only bring beneficial changes into attitudes and actions.
3. Moving abroad implies better job prospects for the future
The current job market is extremely competitive. There are plenty of candidates to choose from and companies can afford to be very selective about new positions. On the job experiencing different work environments in different countries will expand your possibilities and make you gain new areas of expertise which will make you stand in good shape for open positions within your chosen field. A candidate who can demonstrate a higher range of skills and experiences gains a higher competitive advantage from other candidates.
Note that as the world becomes globalized and increasingly connected, building relationships within other cultures and countries becomes a bigger advantage for big companies.
Developing a career is not only about gaining new qualifications in your profile but experiencing and overcoming different work environments might be a big asset to have in consideration to prospective employers.
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